Dean of the Georgeland House of Commons
The Dean of the House of Commons, '''formerly '''Father of the House of Commons, '''is the title given to the longest-serving member of the Georgeland House of Commons. The title was created in 2018. Before 2018, if two members were tied for length of service, the Dean/Father of the House was the one sworn in first. As swearings-in take place alphabetically, in 2013 this meant Mary Byrne , elected in 1987, was Mother/Father of the House. She and Christine Hinkle were both elected the same year, as was Tory MP Tony Gray. While this made Byrne officially the longest-serving MP, Liberal Democrat MPs objected to the position being held only by Byrne, as well as the masculine title. The longest-serving woman in the House was sometimes known as the '''Mother of the House but this was an informal title, which Byrne rejected. She informed the House she wished to be known as the Dean of the House, but while this title was occasionally used, some, including the press, continued to refer to her as Mother. The House did not further debate the matter and it was put to rest, with Byrne retaining the position until her death on 12 October 2018. Following her death, the House passed an amendment to Standing Orders in which the position would in future be shared by multiple members if necessary, with the offical title of 'Dean' applied to all holders. Hinkle and Gray thus became the first members to share the title. The title is borrowed from the United States House of Representatives, in which the longest-serving member is also called the Dean. The Dean is the MP with the longest continuous service - if they have spent any period out of office, even if briefly, their service is not counted. A Dean must also be a private member - that is, not a minister, shadow minister or presiding officer. In the event the Dean is not eligible on these grounds, the title goes to the MP with the next-longest term who meets these criteria. The Dean of the House's only duty is to preside over the Commons during the election of a Speaker. As Speakers are always predetermined by the majority party, this job is merely a formality. During the 2018-19 period where there were two Deans, the issue of which would preside did not arise. Hinkle lost her seat at the 2019 election and Gray retired, rendering the point moot. The current Dean of the House is Conservative MP Gary Mumford, elected in 1995. While his official title is Dean, Mumford refers to himself as Father of the House in correspondence. Before 1990, the Father of the House recieved a higher salary than other members - this has since been changed. List of Fathers/Deans of the House of Commons *Sir Alan Guthrie Aston (Conservative) 1891-1896 The first Parliament was elected in 1891. All members of this parliament had equal terms of service. Aston was appointed Father of the House through virtue of being the first member sworn in, the swearings-in being conducted alphabetically. *Robert Bourke (Labour) 1896-1915 Bourke was the alphabetical first among the group of original MPs remaining in 1896. *Sir Robert Mackie (Conservative) 1915-1925 Of the four remaining original MPs, Mackie was the alphabetical first of the two backbenchers in 1915. *Sir Peter Glass (Conservative) 1925-1930 Sir Peter Glass was the last remaining member of the first Parliament. *Norman Walker (Labour) 1930-1934 *Aaron Lawler (Labour) 1934-1938 *Jonathan Hackett (Labour) 1938-1940 *Jackson Hart (Conservative) 1940-1944 *Thomas Lessing (Conservative) 1944-1949 *Harry Byrnes (Labour) 1949-1955 *Robert Stanley (Conservative) 1955-1960 *Howard Makepeace (Conservative) 1960-1962 *George Miller (Conservative) 1962-1970 *Peter Brothers (Labour) 1970-1974 *Tom Baines (Labour) 1974-1977 *Joe Roberts (Labour) 1977-1979 *Nigel Pearce (Conservative) 1979-1987 *Ted Stack (Labour) 1987-1991 *Allan Duggan (Conservative) 1991-1994 *George Hirsch (Labour) 1994-1999 *Stephen Cole (Conservative) 1999-2007 *Alan Holmberg-Weidler 2007-2010 *Bob Kane 2010-2013 *Mary Byrne 2013-2018 *Christine Hinkle & Tony Gray 2018-19 *Gary Mumford 2019- Category:Titles